Method of and apparatus for cement-coating and packing nails



(No Model.) 3 Sheets--Sheet 1 I. COPELAND.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CEMENT GOATIN'G- AND PACKING NAILS.

No..601,31.4. Pat ted Mar. 29,1898.

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. (No Model.) I. COPELAND.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CEMENT COATING AND PACKING NAILS.

N0. 601,314. Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

3 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

' .METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR GEMENT COATING AND PA GKING NAILS.

Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

WI'I" SE5:

UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRAZOOPELAND, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OFAND APPARATUS FOR CEMENT-COATING AND PACKING NAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.'601,314=, dated March1898- Application filed July 19, 18 97.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, IRA COPELAND, of N ewton, in the county ofMiddlesex and'State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Method of and Apparatus forOement-Ooating and PackingNails,

Figure 1 is a view in plan showing my apparatus, a part beingrepresented as broken out to show a portion ofthe interior of the oven.Fig. 2is a form elevationof my apparatus. Fig. 3 is a'vertical sectiontaken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is aplan showing device for settlingthe nails as they are deposited in the keg.

Heretofore the'method' generally adoptedto coat nails such as aredescribed in said patent has been as follows: The nails have been throwninto a barrel or retort soplaced horizontally in a'furnace that one endprojected outside the furnace-wall for convenience in charging anddischarging its contents; A

quantity of nailssay a keg or one hundred pounds -is placed in theretort and the req uisite quantity of cement in a somewhat comminutedform thrown upon them. Then the retort would be closed and powerappliedto revolve the retort until the nails were sufficiently heated tomelt and distribute the ocment and secure a firm adhesion of the same tothe nails.- In this way from three to six charges per'hour, according tothe intensity of heat employed, could be coated; but the more intensethe heat employed the greaterthe danger of burning the cement while theretort is motionless during the process of discharging and charging,thus creating a debris, practically a foreign substance, whichmust'necessarily be mixed with the nails, rendering their surface roughand unsightly and tending to interfere with their ready feeding door Aandfuel-door A D is located in relation to the fire-box, as

serial No. 645,161. (No model.)

into automatic nailingmachines; also, in packing the hot coated nailsin' kegs it has been necessary to place them in a keg a portion at atime, shaking them by manual power as each portion is added in order toget them into a keg of the usual size, owing to the less mobility ofthecoated nails as compared with the uncoated nails.

My invention consists in avoiding the danger of burning the cementemployed, thus utilizing the whole of it and at the same time producinga more perfect surface on the nail. This end is accomplished byemploying two distinct chambers instead. of one, as heretofore. One is ahot-air chamber or oven in which the nails are brought to a propertemperature and from which they are removed to the second chamber,wherein the requisite cement is thrown upon them and by agitation ortumbling is uniformly distributed. Experience teaches that this secondchamber need not be closed- The heat of the nails is sufficient toquickly melt the cement and to warm the chamber itself, which should beof metal to secure the best results. Ninety seconds is sufficient timeto accomplish the work of the second chamber so far as relates to themere coating of the nails, also in facilitating and expediting thepacking of the nails in kegs. The cylindrical chamber or drum K is keptin continuous motion around its longitudinal axis. 7 By graduallytilting this axis by means of the herein-described device the nails aregradually thrown from it into the chute, which conducts'them into thekeg. The keg, resting upon its platform,' is given two distinct motionsby means of the hereinafter-described device, which effectually settlethe the nails compactly within the keg, so that when chamber No. 2 isemptied the keg is ready to be headed. This operation of dischargingchamber No. 2 and packing the keg I will now describe the apparatus bywhich the nails are cement-coated in accordance with my improved method.In the drawings, A A represent the furnace in general. The fire-box A isprovided with a grate, an ash- The heating-oven shown in Fig. 3-that is,a part is immediately above the fire-box, but it also extends rearwardtoward the flue F and pipe F.

The oven D is circular in plan, as shown in Fig. 1, and has a verticalshaft E passing through its center. The shaft E has a hub E, from whichradiate arms E E, which together form a rotating table adapted to holdthe portable boxes N N The shaft E has at its upper end a disk E fromwhich a series of pins E E extend. (See Fig. A lever E is looselyconnected to the shaft E and serves as a hand-bar for turning the shaft,thus causing the radial arms E E to traverse and carry the nail-boxes NN around the interior of the oven and alternately over the fire-box,thus subjecting all of them to the same amount of heat. The oven-door Dis inclined, as shown in Fig. 3, so that it will rest against theopening. This door is raised by a cord or chain D which passes overpulleys D and D and has at its end a balanceweight D.

A hearth C is situated, as shown, about on a level with the ledge C justinside of the oven-door D, also about on a level with the radial arms EE. The hearth O is for convenience in handling the nail-boxes N N inpassing them in and taking them from the oven. The raised floor orplatform 13 serves as a standing-place for the operator.

For the purpose of heating the nails are placed in the boxes N N whichhold a keg each, and after being placed in the oven and heated the boxescontaining them are drawn out one at a time, then pushed along thehearth C (see N to the chute O, and, still hot, are emptied into thehopper H, then to the rotating drum K.

The rotating drum K, mounted on a shaft K, is hung in a swinging yoke LL L which swings on the journal L and shaft L and is rotated by means ofa gear K which is attached to it. The gear K is driven by the gear Kwhich in turn is operated by the shaft L", which has upon it fast andloose pulleys L L. The drum K, being mounted upon a pivoted yoke, isfree to swing on an axis at right angles toits length. (See Figs. 1 and2.) It is counterbalanced by a weight R attached by a rope R, whichpasses over the pulleys R and R The normal working position of the drumK is represented by full lines. The dotted lines represent it as partlytipped while being emptied of its contents. A chute C serves to divertthe nails into the keg C In discharging the contents of the drum K it isgradually tipped by drawing on the rope R, so that the nails willgradually drop into the keg and be shaken down thoroughly.

A mechanism for settling the nails in the keg is partly shown inelevation in Fig. 2 and in plan in Fig. 4. This consists of anoscillating platform S, mounted upon a central pivot S and casters S Swhich as they roll over the fixed projections S S cause the plat formsto jostle violently. This motion, to-

gether with the oscillating motion, causes the nails to readily settleinto the keg. The oscillating motion is given to the platform S by thecrank-pin T on the rotating disk T, which operates through the link Tlever T T", pivoted at T, and the link T. A swinging block V, pivoted atV, serves, when in the position indicated by full lines, to prevent thekeg from being jostled off from the oscillating table S. This block Vmay be turned away, as indicated by dotted lines, by withdrawing the pinV in which case the keg may be removed and another one put in its place.

The working of my apparatus may be set forth as follows: The nails to betreated are placed in boxes, a keg or other desired quantity in eachbox. Then the boxes are successively placed upon the radial arms E E inthe oven, as indicated by N N Fig. 1, and are made to traverse over thefire-box and about the center of the oven until the first one so placedhas become sufiiciently heated and another one put in its place. As soonas the box of hot nails is withdrawn from the oven it is pushed alongthe hearth O to the position indicated by N Fig. 1, and its contentsdischarged through the chutes C and II into the rotating drum K. As soonas the nails are deposited in the rotating drum the required amount ofcement in a comminuted condition is thrown in and is thoroughlydistributed over the surface of the hot nails as they roll over andcommingle with each other in the rotating drum. \Vhen sufficientlytreated, the nails are made to fall into the keg on the oscillatingplatform S by gradually tipping the still rotating drum.

My method, although independent of any particular apparatus, can be putin practice by the above-described mechanism and may be set forth asfollows:

The nails to be treated are placed in suitable receptacles and heated tothe required degree. Then while hot they are removed from the receptacleand deposited with the required amount of cement into an agitator, thecement being melted by the heat of the nails, about which it flows andadheres in a most perfect manner. This method is much superior to theold method, as it insures a thorough and even coating and avoids dangerof overheating and is cheaper in execution.

Experience teaches that the oven may be easily kept at a temperature of400 to 450 Fahrenheit, in which case nails sufficiently hot may beremoved therefrom at the rate of fifteen kegs per hour.

I claim 1. In an apparatus for cement-coating nails, a furnace and ovenheated by said furnace, means for causing boxes of nails to traversesaid oven whereby they may become evenly heated, chutes, a hearthconnecting said oven with said chutes, a rotating drum for receiving thehot nails from the chutes, and adapted IIO to mingle said nails with acement and to cause a distribution of said cement evenly over the nails,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus for cement-coating nails,

an oven for containing nails to be heated in said oven, a rotating drumfor receiving'said nails While hot and for receiving cement for coatingthem, and mechanism-for tilting said drum While in motion, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth. 3. In an apparatus for coating nailswith 1 cement, an oscillating platform provided with casters and adaptedto hold a nail-keg, projections extending upward from a fixed base inthe path of said casters for jolting the platform, and mechanism forgiving to said platform an oscillating motion, as and for the purposeset forth.

4. A method of coating nails with cement,

consisting of the following steps: first, heating the nails to theproper temperature, independently of the cement; second, removing themfrom the heating device; third, adding to them While still hot, therequisite quantity of cement, which will be melted by the heatpreviously stored in the nails; and by agitation, distributing saidcement equablyupon the nails Without danger of burning the cement,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of tWo subscribing witnesses, on this 17th day of July, A. D.1897.

IRA COPELAND.

Witnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER,

WILLIAM EDsoN.

